[tm1681]

EMPIRE SCORES 11 IN 7TH TO STUN EXCELSIOR
EMPIRE OF LAVALLIERE HAS 5 HITS & RBI EACH; EXCELSIOR COMMITS 11 ERRORS IN LOSS

BROOKLYN (July 20, 1867) – After six innings in Carroll Park on Saturday the Brooklyn Championship leaders, Excelsior, looked headed for a win thanks to their 7-3 lead over Atlantic. Then, Empire came to bat and turned the game on its head:

Excelsior #2 pitcher Franklin Leonard (6-7, 3.70, 1.3 WAR) was having a decent afternoon before the fateful 7th inning, but everything fell apart in short order:

• BAT 1: C. Barr Ground Out to 1B off F. Leonard
• BAT 2: W. Strausbaugh reached via Error by 3B W. Leone
• BAT 3: D. Hunt reached via Base on Balls by F. Leonard
• BAT 4: I. Kivivuori hit 1-run Single past 2B off F. Leonard (R: Strausbaugh)
• BAT 5: W. LaValliere hit 2-run Double to CF off F. Leonard (R: Hunt & Kivivuori)
• BAT 6: L. Bradford hit 1-run Single b/w 1B & 2B off F. Leonard (R: LaValliere)
• Bradford to 2B on Fielding Error by OF U. Schneider
• BAT 7: W. McCaskey hit Single b/w SS & 3B off F. Leonard
• BAT 8: M. Bryant Ground Out to SS off F. Leonard
• Bradford Run via Wild Pitch
• BAT 9: N. Guilford hit Single past 2B off F. Leonard
• McCaskey run via Throwing Error by CF A. Mask
• BAT 10: C. Barr hit 1-run Double past 3B off J. Roberts (R: Guilford)
• BAT 11: W. Strausbaugh hit Single to LF off J. Roberts
• BAT 12: D. Hunt reached via Error by 2B B. Lovette (R: Barr)
• BAT 13: I. Kivivuori hit 1-run Double to LCF off J. Roberts (R: Strausbaugh)
• BAT 14: W. LaValliere hit 2-run Single to RCF off J. Roberts (R: Hunt & Kivivuori)
• LaValliere to 2B on Throwing Error by OF U. Schneider
• BAT 15: L. Bradford Fly Out to CF off J. Roberts
• TOTAL: 15 BATTERS, 11 RUNS, 9 HITS (3 2B), 5 E, 1 BB, 1 WP

Leonard was not helped at all by the efforts of his Excelsior teammates in the field, who committed five errors during the top of the 7th, two of which allowed runs to score.

The key man in the Empire rally was corner outfielder William LaValliere, who had two hits and three RBI in the top of the 7th. For the afternoon, LaValliere was 5/6 with a double, triple, three runs, five batted in, and a final Game Score of 92, the second-best by an Empire player this season.

Kings County won 18-12 at Nassau County, so Excelsior’s lead in the Brooklyn Championship shrank to four games. Empire is all but eliminated from Tucker-Wheaton Cup contention, their 29-30 record placing them nine games behind Excelsior with eleven left to play.